Shaquille O’Neal is “very confident” that “Inside the NBA” will remain on TNT next season, despite rumors that NBC is poised to pry away TNT’s TV rights to the league.
The Wall Street Journal reported last month that Comcast Universal (NBC’s parent company) was willing to offer $2.5 billion a year for the rights – more than double what Warner Bros. Discovery (the parent company of TNT) currently spends an average of $1.2 billion.
NBC winning the rights would likely mean the end of “Inside the NBA,” the beloved studio show starring O’Neal, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and host Ernie Johnson, but O’Neal doesn’t seem to be sweating.
‘Don’t know [about the show’s future]but hopefully [Warner Bros. Discovery CEO] David Zaslav will take care of things, I’m sure he will,” he told reporter Adam Glyn.
“I think we’re in a great place right now.”
Shaquille O’Neal said he had ‘a lot of confidence’ in the future of the beloved ‘Inside the NBA’
His colleague Charles Barkley, however, seemed less confident that the show would go on
O’Neal’s friend and colleague Barkley was slightly less confident.
‘We do not know. I mean, it would be sad [if the show ended]. We don’t know,” he said.
‘I hope so [continue]. Not just for me and Kenny and Ernie and Shaq, but for the real people who work there, it sucks to be stressed right now.
The couple’s comments come after former sports journalist and Ringer founder Bill Simmons said on his eponymous podcast that the deal was “complete.”
“One of the funniest things ever is we’re all pretending the TV deal wasn’t done a week and a half ago,” Simmons said earlier this week.
‘I think it’s done. I think Warner [Bros. Discovery] I already lost it,” he continued.
TNT’s parent company Warner Bros has paid less than half of the $2.5 billion per year compensation reportedly offered by Comcast Universal (NBC’s parent company)
“And I don’t know why we wait until after the play-offs, maybe they should do it that way. But it is a cover. NBC gets it. I’m just telling you.’
Warner, which began broadcasting games in 1984, has paid an average compensation of $1.2 billion per year to the league, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The network failed to reach a new pact with the NBA before an exclusive negotiating window expired last week.